---
title: A Peek Inside … Education Professor Sharon Fries-Britt’s Office
date: 2025-02-11T05:30:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/a-peek-inside-education-professor-sharon-fries-britts-office"
section: Articles
---
# A Peek Inside … Education Professor Sharon Fries-Britt’s Office

*February 11, 2025* — by [Karen Shih ’09](/author/karen-shih)


> Bright Corner Space Features Wall of Heroes, Gifts From Students, Favorite Photos

*Portrait Fries Britt Sharon 12112024 DS 1465 1920x1080 — From heartfelt student gifts to portraits of her heroes, Distinguished University Professor Sharon Fries-Britt has filled her College of Education office with University of Maryland mementos and more.*

Depending on which decade you met Sharon Fries-Britt at the University of Maryland, you might have encountered an eager small-town student in the 1970s, a thoughtful student affairs staffer in the 1990s or a decorated faculty member and researcher she is today.

“I love working on a college campus,” said Distinguished University Professor Fries-Britt. “It's one of the few multigenerational environments where you can have a 20-something-year-old and an 80-something-year-old in the same place. The older I get, the more I love it. If you're willing to stay open and change and learn, it's amazing.”

She never planned to become a professor, but after a decade working to retain underrepresented students, she felt drawn to develop a deeper understanding of their experiences. She earned her doctorate, then encouraged by her mentors, joined the faculty of the [College of Education](https://education.umd.edu/).

Fries-Britt’s research focuses on high-achieving African American students, especially those in STEM fields, and their social and academic lives at predominantly white institutions. While previous research often started by assuming Black students wouldn’t succeed, she pioneered the opposite approach, starting with the premise that “our academic talent is as diverse as any other community.”

From her third-floor corner office in the Benjamin Building, overlooking a back garden popular for College of Ed gatherings, she shares how her wall art honors the Black women in every field who inspire her, her family’s love of the outdoors and what’s kept her at UMD for so many years.


*framed photos of opera singer Leontyne Price, actress and poet Ruby Dee, sprinter Wilma Rudolph and author Toni Morrison*



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*African art, including wood carving of a child lifting another up to a tree*


**African art** Through her travels and gifts from students and colleagues, Fries-Britt has amassed a small collection of art from Africa, including a wood carving of a child lifting another up to a tree, given to her after a doctoral student successfully defended her dissertation, and a small chair she uses as a purse stand, purchased during a 1997 trip to Ghana. There, she and her husband visited Cape Coast Castle, where enslaved people were sent on ships across the ocean. “It was very emotional for both of us. I remember we said to each other, ‘Whenever we encounter challenges, we’ve got to remember this moment standing up here.’”



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*photo of Ned Britt hiking, with other photos on shelf*


**Ned Britt** This photo of her husband of 35 years was taken in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The couple loves to hike together—one of their first dates was to the Shenandoah Mountains, where her camping skills impressed Britt.

But it hasn’t always been easy to be a Black outdoorsman. Britt, a former kinesiology faculty member at Towson who later ran the school’s intramural sports program, frequently encountered racism when taking students on hikes or campouts; fellow hikers would take his (usually white) students aside and ask they if they were OK.



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*mini chalkboard that reads, "A Successful Teacher"*


**Mini chalkboard** Another gift from a graduate, this one reminds Fries-Britt of all the joy she gets from her students’ accomplishments. She’s advised dozens of doctoral candidates and served on nearly 200 dissertation committees, and some of those grads have become as close as family members. She often recalls what one mentor, former higher education Professor Richard Chait, told her: “The true sign of a mentor is when your people go off and do better than you.”



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*large white turtle shell hangs on wall with degree and Ohio State logo*



**Sidebar note:**

This is one of a series of Maryland Today features during Black History Month celebrating Terp faculty, staff, students and alums.





**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [Black History Month](https://today.umd.edu/topic/black-history-month), [A Peek Inside](https://today.umd.edu/topic/a-peek-inside), [Multicultural Community](https://today.umd.edu/topic/multicultural-community)


**Units:** [College of Education](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-education)